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Starym
House Starym was an ultraconservative and powerful elven noble family that once inhabited the city of Cormanthor (later Myth Drannor) in the elven empire of Cormanthyr. Comprised chiefly of Gold elves but with some Moon elves as well, they became discontent when Coronal Eltargrim Irithyl allowed races such as gnomes, halflings and dwarves to inhabit the city. Their reputation as a trusted influential house was destroyed after they attacked the Elven Court, subsequently most of the gold elves emigrated from Myth Drannor. History The Starym Clan of elves had been in the city of Cormanthor for quite sometime, as a member of the 12 First Houses of Cormanthyr, (in fact, even their rivals admit to Starym being the First house, pinnacle of all that is noble and fine among the elves) but their notable history begins after the Dalereckoning. Starym, along with other old noble houses, put forward much resistance to the forward-thinking Coronal Eltargrim Irithyl, and vehemently opposed his liberal ideas of opening the capital city to the N'Tel'Quess (the "Not-People"; anyone not an elf), where formerly it was barred against all but the elves. Despite their misgivings and participation in a rebellious attack on the Court that took the lives of many nobles of all the great houses (including the archmage and patriarch Aulathar Orbryn), the Coronal's wishes eventually passed with the Opening in 261 DR, when the city became Myth Drannor. Angered by this, Starym, along with other minor families and four major houses (Bharaclaiev, Hyshaanth, Rhaevaem, Telynnan) quit the city in 262 DR, leaving behind only small numbers of their people (mostly gold elves), bound for other more "elven" settlements throughout Cormanthyr and elsewhere beyond the woods. Starym, as the only "senior" noble house to do so, fell under the law that their lands and properties would remain vacant for three hundred years, at which time, if not reclaimed, would default to the Coronal. Some of the family emigrated to Eaerlann, Illefarn and the Thunder Peaks. Many of the clan's women and children moved south to Semberholme. In the decades that followed, the Starym clan had to rebuild its honour in the city, and those who stayed behind laboured to do so. They found resolve in both Josidiah Starym and Taleisin Starym, both of great prestige. However, in 500 DR, the house heir Josidiah Starym embarked on a quest to recover the lost Ary'Velahr'Kerym (elfblade) to prove his worthiness to marry Aravae Irithyl, the Coronal's daughter, heir to the throne, and Josidiah's true love. He vowed to return in a century's time. The three hundred year right to their lands was restored in 523 DR when younger Moon elf members of the clan returned to Myth Drannor and returned the clan to social power. These younger members were an off-shoot of the line tracing back to the Fourth Rysar. The current heir, Josidiah Starym, having left on his famous quest 23 years earlier, left uncertainty about the house lordship, to the dismay of Coronal Eltargrim, who thought Josidiah an honourable elf. As a stalling measure, the Coronal demanded that the current lord draw his family's moonblade and prove the clan's loyalty to Myth Drannor. The lord at the time, Illitran Starym indeed would draw the blade, but not before he forged a pact with Moander, disguised as a cleansing ritual, to gain the power to fool the moonblade and thus his family and the Coronal. The Starym Moonblade, later called Darkmoon, was forged for him and its character-judging abilities were corrupted by Moander. The surrounding Mythal filled the void in the sword's power with a trace of Illitran's spirit and sentience. Illitran easily drew the blade. The blade passed on to Venali, Illitran's son, later (see below). Josidiah Starym returned to Myth Drannor in 674 DR bringing not the lost Warblade but the Artblade instead. Dismayed as he learned that the Coronal and Aravae Irithyl, his love, had passed, he declined his ascension to Lord Speaker of the house and instead took over the Akh'Faer, becoming Spell-Major and joining the Council of Twelve by virtue of drawing the Artblade. Disgruntled by his replacement, the former Spell-Major Paeris Haladar attempted to slay Josidiah in 689 DR, but failed. The Starym Moonblade During the assault by the Army of Darkness in 714 DR, Venali Starym hid the Moonblade in the family crypts, more concerned about his wealth than the city's fate. He was discovered by fiends, and was forced to imbue within the sword a teleportation ability, which was again corrupted by the Mythal. A piece of Venali's spirit, a cowardice and sense of self-preservation, accompanied the magic. Venali escape to safety, but the sword could never teleport into the Mythal again. Venali took the blade with him from Cormanthyr to the Hullack Forest, where he died of a strange wasting disease. The moonblade passed on to Venali's niece, Seldanna, where it was used for many decades in Seldanna's raids on human and dwarven cities in the approaching Kingdom of Cormyr. She rebuilt much of the clan's fortunes in this way, and in the sword was imbued her insatiable greed and ability to locate precious metals and gems infallibly. When Seldanna's family group was eventually tracked down and slain for punishment by a half-elf descended from the Llundlar clan of Myth Drannor, the sword passed to Seldanna's only surviving son, who is known to history only as "the Scourge". The Scourge took his fanatical followers to the Stonelands where he founded the Eldreth Veluuthra, the Victorious Blade of the People. It was a secret organization of racial hatred that lasted many years beyond the life of the Scourge, who was eventually poisoned by his only child, a daughter known only as "Black Lotus", but not before a strong hatred of non-elves was instilled into the blade. Black Lotus spent decades fighting madness in attempts to control the intelligent weapon, and eventually succeeded, but not before going insane and completing her family's fall into depravity. She terrorized the Inner Sea lands for years before making her return to Myth Drannor, where she would claim her "rightful inheritance". She was crushed in an abandoned crypt after plundering significant amounts of treasure, and her spirit was entirely consumed in her moonblade, which would later possess the ability to project an image of her that could wail as a banshee. The blade quickly teleported itself from Myth Drannor and sought a new wielder. Notable Family Members *"Black Lotus", daughter of the "Scourge", who poisoned her father to acquire the family Moonblade. She died in Myth Drannor, crushed by a fallen crypt, attempting to reclaim her rightful inheritance. *Former Matriarch Ildilyntra Starym, who died fighting the Coronal in the form of a blood dragon when he refused to renege on his decision to open Cormanthyr to non-elves. *Lord Speaker Illitran Starym, who infamously forged a pact with Moander in order to fool his Moonblade and retain power over the house. He was also the elf who slew Aravae Irithyl, though his treachery was never discovered. His son, Venali, later became head of the house. *Lord Speaker Llombaerth Starym, one of the Masked, who taught Elminster Aumar in Myth Drannor and once attempted to slay the Coronal. *Josidiah Starym (101 DR - 714 DR), the lost heir of the Starym clan who found the lost Artblade and later became Spell-Major and sat upon the Council of Twelve. *"The Scourge", son of Seldanna the Cold and founder of Eldreth Veluuthra (the Victorious Blade of the People), a secret organization responsible for the slaying of many humans and half-elves over the years. *Seldanna Starym, known as "Seldanna the Cold", a Starym exile after the fall of Myth Drannor. She used the family's moonblade to increase its wealth through raids while living in the Hullack Forest. *Taleisin Starym, clan elder and Lord Protector of the Starym Clan. *Uldreiyn Starym, former Archmage who attempted to slay the Coronal and corrupt the rising of the Mythal in 261 DR. He also slew Aulathar Orbryn in the rebellion. *Venali Starym, heir to the house while Josidiah Starym remains missing. The son of Illitran Starym, he later becomes Lord Speaker and joins the Council of Twelve, where he uses his power to establish Starym influence in other sister cities. *Ysmyrl'da Starym, clan archmage, mother of Josidiah Starym and niece by marriage to Taleisin Starym, the clan elder. Relationships with other Houses Haladar Clan The Haladar family fell from grace due to the vengeful attitude of its clan archmage, Paeris Haladar, who, angered by his replacement as Spell-Major by Josidiah Starym, tried to kill him and draw the Artblade. Deemed unworthy, the Artblade caused him to emanate dead magic as penance. His family worked hard and 30 years later, thanks to some secret rituals and prayer to Sehanine Moonbow and Mystra, his abilities and honour were restored. He and Josidiah have since healed their rifts, and Paeris rose to work at his side as Spell-Captain. Orbryn Clan In 261 DR, upon raising of the Mythal, this clan's archmage and patriarch Aulathar Orbryn was slain by Uldreiyn Starym in the rebellion against the Court led by the Starym clan. Since this time, Orbryn and Starym have remained bitter enemies. Their current patriarch, Edwyrd Orbryn refused to acknowledge the house or remain in their presence. Other Notable Facts It is rumoured that one of the Starym's famed moonblades still lies hidden somewhere among the trees of Cormanthor, though they fear that were it found, no family member would be worthy of its use. House Starym has always been a proud, influential, "let's DO things" family who believed that elves are best suited to rule the Realms as they please because they are the most versatile, creative, artistic, far-sighted, intelligent race, and not "corrupted by gold and the earth itself" (as dwarves are) or "governed by bloodlust and selfishness and the glee of wanton destruction" (as humans are). Individual Starym have been very wise, wealthy, diplomatic, and competent as leaders in battle, but the stereotype of the family that's developed among other elves (and leaked to other races) is of overweening pride, haughtiness that overrides all else. Down the years, House Starym has used a great variety of blazons, both personal and family, but the two most popular House badges (worn by retainers and warriors attached to the House) are as follows: • "The Glory" : silver field or shield, with a horns-down dark purple or black crescent moon in its upper third, bisected by a slender, hilt-down and point-up slender vertical black swordblade (edged with a thin line of silver), the hilt extending well below the crescent and the point reaching just above it, with nineteen small silver "longpoint" (that is, longest rays are vertical, second-longest are horizontal, other rays smaller) stars scattered randomly across the crescent. (Nineteen representing the nineteen brothers and cousins of the family at the self-proclaimed time of House Starym rising to "rightfully" dominate elven affairs.) • "The Gard": black crescent moon, horns-down and with a line of six equal-sized longpoint stars (representing the six major branches of the family in later centuries) along its uppermost curve, three on either side of the "gard" itself, which is a vertical silver double-bladed dagger bisecting the crescent. The gard has a point at the bottom and another at the top, and flares slowly from both of them to form an elongated diamond - - except that where the widest part of the diamond should be (in the center of its crossing of the crescent), two opposed, back-to-back semicircular "bites" cut into the diamond, representing the hilt of this mythic weapon (which represents the vigilance of the Starym against foes anywhere, within its ranks and race and without). Black, silver, stars, and crescent moons are recurring devices in Starym blazonry, but individual arms and simplified badges may be far different from these two most popular examples. However, almost all elves of any community the Starym have dwelt in, and ALL Starym, will recognize the Glory and the Gard for what they are, even if they've never used either badge themselves. Like all families, the Starym aren't monolithic in their outlook, and each younger generation repudiates some of what their elders teach them and believe in (while at the same time being heavily influenced by it). However, in general (like all stereotypes, these may fall down entirely when applied to specific Starym individuals, and specific members of the races I mention here), the Starym think of dragons as noble but flawed, worthy of study to learn from their failings and their might and magical nature. The Starym consider half-elves to be the undesirable, degenerate result of "elven weakness" who are best used as expendable pawns, and not encouraged to breed or persist as a "people." They will work with them, but never willingly breed with them. Gnomes and halflings are seen by the Starym as very much alike: half-witted but useful (as engineers, crafters-of-gadgets, and agile, good-at-climbing-and-baking, and for nasty, dity jobs) potential servants, who have their place in the Realms, but should not be trusted underfoot in matters of true import (i.e. trade with them, use them as servants, but they should dwell apart from us). Otherworldly beings are similarly mistrusted but also viewed as interesting for their potential powers and connections (some Starym even advocate deliberate breeding of captive or servant beings, to exploit the resulting offspring as "purpose-made" servants/slaves). Again, I stress that this is a stereotype; individual Starym may not hold such views. House Starym are often seen as the very "worst" sort of racist, elitist, sneering-down-at-all-others elves, and SOME Starym play this role to the hilt, but only a VERY FEW don't recognize that it is a role they are choosing to adopt, as opposed to "the truth, the rightful way of things." A few younger Starym are disgusted by this role and family members who promote it; most such individuals depart the family and take other names. Category:Elven houses